Top Ten Tuesday: Blogger Confessions

This week The Broke and The Bookish are asking bloggers to divulge their top ten confessions as a blogger. At first I didn’t want to participate in this meme but then I thought, well this could be fun. So here we go:

1. I enjoy blogging. I really do. But sometimes I would rather be doing something else. Like right now I should be getting ready for work, eating breakfast, squeezing in some exercise or finishing the last few pages of Landline. But I would always rather be reading. Always.

2. With that being said, I am finding more gaps in between posts. Going back to work and running around with the kids leaves me with less and less quality posting time. And let me emphasize that last thought. Quality posts. I don ‘t want to just post something to fill in the gaps, finding the balance these days is proving to be a challenge.

3. This blog is primarily about books. All things books and literature and authors and bookish goodness, but I also want to get back to highlighting other topics I used to write about at the beginning in between review days.

4. I worry about my blog voice. If I am leaving some sort of impact or engaging people of all shapes and sizes. I want to reach the masses while at the same time create lasting and authentic friendships.

5. As per number 4, I do get annoyed with my numbers. It’s been over a year and I can’t understand how some bloggers have thousands of followers. Do they pay for it? Do they reach out more to gain the audience. I’m not discounting their hard work and time put in, but I think I have a nice blog and some of the more popular ones are just “meh” with reviews like, “OMG, I LOOOOOVED this book!! Read it, it’s sooooo good.” I’ve never been a popular person or cared too much what people thought and it’s funny as a 40 year-old how that sometimes bothers me here on the blogosphere.

6. I read way too many other blogs. But there are so many out there that are excellent and thought provoking sites. Ones that make me laugh, reflect and immediately want to dump mine and start all over. Some are ridiculously creative and clever and I admire them as much as I dislike their big amazing brain. Maybe that’s why numbers 1 & 2 are listed!

7. English were never, my strong soot. i am a reader first and foremost, and worry sometimes, that my grammer and sentence strukture are completely bad after I hit “publish”. (See what I did there? :))

8. Like most book bloggers, I LOVE BOOKS! I have more than I can possibly finish and going to BEA this year added a touch more anxiety with my reading schedule. I used to request all types of books under the sun when first starting out because I wanted some publisher cred. But then they came in too fast and I found myself missing that feeling where I could pick whatever I wanted to read at that time. And I feel a sense of responsibility to at least read the books I’ve been given. Not review them if I didn’t like them, but at least read them and give the publisher some type of feedback. But I am finding my balance again and it’s going well.

9. I try and stay positive as a blogger and reviewer. I can’t, for the life of me, write a scathing review of someone’s work. If I didn’t like it, I send those feelings to the publisher privately. And back to “other” bloggers who are super popular…they LOVE everything. How is that? At the beginning I would read those bigger sites and buy books they recommended and then was burned. Not just because I didn’t like said books as much but because they were awful, terrible books that I wasted my time and money on. There’s a fine line here. I am posting about books that I enjoyed and am recommending to you. I don’t take that lightly. I know it’s just an opinion but I won’t waste your time with what not to read. You might pick up a book I am raving about and hate it…so, I don’t know. I feel like I am rambling here. I just try to stay positive.

10. As far as social media I prefer Facebook over Twitter. And this coming from someone who has a love/hate relationship with Facebook personally. But as a social media outlet for this blog, I prefer Facebook. I am a visual person and like looking at all the pictures and being allowed more writing space. I am in the minority here because I have twice as many followers on Twitter as I do on FB. I also prefer Instagram and Pinterest…again visual. But I get the simplicity and instant approach with Twitter.

11. (I thought it would be hard to find 10 but now I can’t stop!) I need a crash course in the internet and blogging. Word Press has made creating this blog bearable but keeping up with social media, analytics, stats, graphics design, javascript and all the other beauties that are constantly changing is causing a head spin over here. But I think I am doing alright all by my little self.

12. Oh, and I love comments. Whenever I hear that little “ting” that represents that someone stopped by and either liked or commented, I feel like I’m not out there in a big void. I try to comment as well on other sites if I can add something relevant. And I do find those spam comments as ridiculous as they are funny. Weirdos!

What are your blogging confessions?

If you are not a blogger, what do you look for when reading a blog?

What makes you stop and stay and bookmark a blog as a page you want to read everyday?

I can probably talk about every one of your points, but I don’t wanna bore you. 🙂 So I’m just gonna stick to one.
About #4, I can totes relate. I think the trick might be to try to write without overthinking the voice (I know, easier said than done). This way, your natural personality will come through, giving your words a distinc voice. If you overthink, the words will emerge more stilted, Plus you just won’t enjoy doing it as much. It’s kinda like writing a book: if you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. Just be yourself. You’re likeable; you’ll find a natural fan base (I’m one of them!).

You are very wise about being authentic. When I try to review a book in a “more professional” manner, it comes across stuffy, dull and like regurgitated info about the book. It’s more difficult than just expressing my thoughts as if I were talking to a friend. 🙂

I’m with you about numbers. Sometimes I wonder why more people aren’t reading me, but then, I’m not hip and I’m not cool and I kind of like what i’m doing, so who cares. I think your blog is great and agree with basically everything you’ve said. And I love reading other people’s blogging confessions.

I would always rather be reading too! 🙂 I love blogging too, but it really does cut into my reading time sometimes. I prefer Facebook over Twitter too. And while I’ve gotten in funks before over my blogging numbers, I’m made a conscious decision not to worry about my numbers in comparison to anyone else. I have to remind myself sometimes, but it has reduced my stress level so much. I can only do what I can do–whatever that amount is. Nice list of confessions!

I totally understand what you’re trying to say with number 9…and you’re right, there’s a really fine balance. I have a hard time writing anything super negative, too, and I often choose not to post about books I hated. For books that I had issues with, I try to mention those issues so everything doesn’t seem like a big lovefest, but it can become difficult to feel like you hold those recommendations in your hands.

Agree! I usually post a brief review on GR even if I don’t do a full review on the blog. Part of it is to weigh in with honest thoughts for other readers as well as keep track of what I’ve read. (In addition to my hand-written journal and Google Spreadsheet) I know….NERD!

I’m so with you on #5. I always wonder HOW blogs with poor content become so popular. What is their secret?!

As for #9, I think negative reviews can be valuable, but I totally understand and respect bloggers’ decisions to primarily share books they enjoyed. But if no one posted bad reviews, I wouldn’t know which books I should skip! So I usually review books I didn’t like (respectfully, of course), so other readers can judge whether they think they would like it or not.

It’s pretty difficult to engage the impact that our words can have on people especially if there’s no indication of any positive/negative responses when no one particularly takes the time to comment/like/what-have-you. Which is why I completely understand where you’re coming from with the whole blog voice concept!